On Sunday, March 27, 2022, Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum Trust, Inc., will induct the next group of veterans into the Joseph A. Dugan, Jr. Hall of Valor.
The ceremony begins at 2 pm in the auditorium and is open to the public and free to attend. In honor of the Hall of Valor Ceremony, the museum is open and admission is free on March 27th from 12 pm – 2 pm. Complimentary parking is available while supplies last in the street-level parking lot opposite the building on Bigelow Blvd.
Please note the traditional luncheon that usually follows the ceremony is by invitation only and is not open to the public this year.
The event will also be livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube so that anyone who wants to watch this remarkable group can do so from the safety of their home.
Please use the following links to view the event on either Facebook Live or YouTube.
The links will become active about 5 minutes prior to the ceremony
Soldiers & Sailors recognizes and pays tribute to Pennsylvania veterans who have received the military’s highest awards for valor: the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, Air Force Cross, Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Soldiers Medal, Airmen Medal, Coast Guard Medal or Navy/Marine Corps Medal (for bravery and heroism during times of military conflict). These inductees will join the over 700 heroes that have already been inducted into the distinguished Hall of Valor since 1963. We also ask that you attend and encourage individuals and local community to attend the ceremony!
Spotlight On: Liberators of the Concentration Camps
April 14, 2022 7PM
Virtual Event – Join us on Facebook or YouTube
Throughout April, 1945 advance elements of American soldiers confronted the harsh realities of Nazi concentration camps, consequently placing them in the role of liberators. This month we will examine letters from liberators and a photographic record of what they encountered along with other objects as gathered from the archives at Soldiers & Sailors. We will also be joined by US Army Sergeant Guy Prestia of the 45 Infantry Division Company E- 157 Infantry Regiment. He will discuss his experiences during the liberation of Dachau. Join us as we learn about and pay tribute to the Liberators of World War II.
BIOS:
Lisa Petitta, Collections Manager, Soldiers & Sailors
Lisa Petitta is the Collections Manager at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum. She joined the Museum in 2015 and has always had a passionate interest in military history. She is responsible for the safe storage of artifacts in the permanent collection, cataloging artifacts and has worked on display installations, museum tours, grant writing and fundraising events. She holds Masters in Military History from American Public University and a BA in History and Minor in Historical Preservation from the University of Pittsburgh.
Michael Kraus, Curator, Soldiers & Sailors
A well-known Civil War historian, Kraus currently works as Curator/Historian for Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum. His accomplishments include several historical consultant credits for major films, writing and narrating the documentary series Civil War Minutes and Civil War Life as well as authoring articles and books regarding the conflict. Michael also is an accomplished sculptor with an impressive resume of historically themed works in bronze.
Sergeant Guy Prestia
Sergeant Guy Prestia served in the United States Army as a part of 45th Infantry Division Company E- 157 Infantry Regiment. He served as a BAR (Browning Automatic Weapon) man in North Africa, Sicily, Salerno, Anzio, Rome, Southern France and Germany. He spent 511 days in combat and served an extra 6 months in the Army of Occupation. He is a retired machinist who raised eight children. He serves as Deacon at his church and speaks to school children and civic organizations about WWII and the Holocaust so we never forget.
Soldiers & Sailors Tabletop Gamers
FREE Admission Kickoff
April 16, 2022
10AM – 4PM
Welcome to the first monthly game day for the Soldiers & Sailors Tabletop Gamers! We welcome interested gamers ages 10 and up of all experience levels (including none) who want to bring or just play historical board games and miniatures war games, in keeping with the museums mission. For this day only we will have FREE admission with online registration at the link below.
Specific games for April 16th will include two easy-to-learn games: What a tanker! Using 1/72 scale WWII tanks and the 1862 Battle of Puebla (Cinco de Mayo) . . . OR bring your own historical military board game or miniatures game to share! Every game day will always have at least one easy-to-learn multiplayer game for anyone new to historical gaming.
To register for tour FREE museum admission on April 16th please visit: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c084ba9ac2eabff2-soldiers
For more information please contact Tim Neff: tim@soldiersandsailorshall.org
Future game days will require you to pay standard museum admission, which is listed on the museums website: https://www.soldiersandsailorshall.org/museum/. HINT: The annual membership is very inexpensive! https://www.soldiersandsailorshall.org/donate/#membership.
What is Tabletop Gaming?
Tabletop gaming is played on a table with physical pieces, as opposed to video/computer games. Tabletop gaming includes both board games with playing pieces (for example, Stratego) and miniature games. Miniature games use representative terrain game boards and miniature military figures.
Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum
Spotlight On: Behind the Scenes: America’s Defenders Statue
May 12, 2022 7PM
Virtual Event – Join us on Facebook or YouTube
This Memorial Day, Soldiers & Sailors will proudly unveil a new statue dedicated to those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. The life size bronze monument will be known as “America’s Defenders” and will feature a male and a female soldier. This program will feature the statue’s artist and Soldiers & Sailors Curator, Michael Kraus who will walk us through the creation process including concept drawings, mock-ups, clay molds and bronze casting. Also highlighted will be the source materials (uniforms & equipment) and the tools that were used throughout the process. This program will serve as a special preview for a physical exhibit that will be available to the public at Soldiers & Sailors as a part of our Memorial Day Celebration on May 30th.
BIO:
Michael Kraus, Curator, Soldiers & Sailors
A well-known Civil War historian, Kraus currently works as Curator/Historian for Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum. His accomplishments include several historical consultant credits for major films, writing and narrating the documentary series Civil War Minutes and Civil War Life as well as authoring articles and books regarding the conflict. Michael also is an accomplished sculptor with an impressive resume of historically themed works in bronze.
Join the 1st Annual Pittsburgh Relay
Friday, Mary 13th, 2022
Walk to honor the sacrifices of our nation’s Military and First Responder Heroes!
Please join the First Annual Carry The Load Pittsburgh Team. Carry the Load (CTL) is a national non-profit organization that provides an active way to connect Americans to the sacrifices made daily by our military, veterans, first responders and their families. After 11 years, Pittsburgh is finally added to the National Relay.
1:30 PM: Meet at the front lawn of Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum, 4141 5th Ave Pittsburgh, PA
2:00 PM: Start of the 10 mile Carry The Load Relay (walk) to Heinz Field. Join at the start or jump in at any time along the route.
5:00 PM: Rally Kickoff. Stay for the fun! You didn’t get to walk? Join us at the Rally!
6:30 PM: See the Relay Team off or join the walk to Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown
The National Relay begins o/a the first Monday in May, from four parts of the country culminating in Dallas, TX on Memorial Day. See carrytheload.org for a detailed overview.
Relay and Rally are FREE. To donate go to carrytheload.org and click on Memorial May Events.
Popa Banks and Upscale & Classy Pittsburgh Presents: An Intimate Evening of Music featuring Joe, Donell Jones and special guest Will Downing.
Doors open at 6:30pm
Showtime: 7:30pm
Tickets are available at Dorsey’s Records or online.
Soldiers & Sailors Tabletop Gamers
10AM – 4PM
Welcome to the monthly game day for the Soldiers & Sailors Tabletop Gamers! We welcome interested gamers ages 10 and up of all experience levels (including none) who want to bring or just play historical board games and miniatures war games, in keeping with the museums mission. Game days will require you to pay standard museum admission, which is listed on the museums website: https://www.soldiersandsailorshall.org/museum/. HINT: The annual membership is very inexpensive! https://www.soldiersandsailorshall.org/donate/#membership.
Pay for event admission by clicking on the green “Tickets” button.
Since this is an admission-based event, cost to attend is regular museum admission.
Great news for current US Military Members and US Military Veterans. Admission is free for you!
If you are military or Gold Star Family, please register by selecting the Military “Tabletop Gamers” button on the main registration page.
For more information please contact Tim Neff: tim@soldiersandsailorshall.org
What is Tabletop Gaming?
Tabletop gaming is played on a table with physical pieces, as opposed to video/computer games. Tabletop gaming includes both board games with playing pieces (for example, Stratego) and miniature games. Miniature games use representative terrain game boards and miniature military figures.
This rain or shine event is FREE and open to the public. Honor those who have served our country at our annual Memorial Day Ceremony & Celebration.
At 11AM we begin the day with a ceremony paying tribute to our fallen PA service members from the Post-911 conflicts in collaboration with Vietnam Veterans Inc., local Gold Star Organizations and Shepherd’s Heart Veterans Home.
At 12:00PM enjoy family-friendly activities, contests, entertainment and food and beverage vendors, all hosted by our celebrity personality Mike Frazer of 3WS Radio. Activities include crafts and a bouncy house from ELF Entertainment, caricatures by Howard Bender and BBQ favorites hot off the grill from Pgh Barbeque Company, as well as cold beverages, and Kona Ice.
Be one of the first ever to see our “America’s Defenders” statue honoring Post-911 Veterans and visit our special exhibit showing how the statue went from a sketch to a life size bronze memorial.
Civil War re-enactors will set up a display camp on the grass where they will interpret how Union soldiers lived and display articles from the era. Also in attendance will be re-enactors who portray members of the GAR (Grand Army of the Republic). The GAR was a veteran’s organization formed after the Civil War. Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall was founded by the organization and served as meeting place decades after opening in 1910.
Camp Chase Fifes and Drums, one of the top fife and drum corps in the country who perform Civil War music in period costumes, will be performing patriotic military music throughout the day culminating with a concert at 3pm.
Free holiday parking is available around the Memorial and in the street-level lot across from the museum on Bigelow Blvd.
This year’s Memorial Day Celebration is presented by:
Thank you to our additional sponsors:
Soldiers & Sailors would also like to thank the following for generously supporting our Memorial Day observance:
Spotlight On: Fierce Valor: The True Story of Ronald Speirs and His Band of Brothers
Thursday, June 9, 2022
Virtual Event – Join us on Facebook or YouTube
Of the elite paratroopers who served in the venerated “Band of Brothers” during the Second World War, none were more enigmatic than Ronald Speirs. Rumored to have gunned down enemy prisoners and even one of his own disobedient sergeants, Speirs became a foxhole legend among his troops. But who was the real Lieutenant Speirs? Join author Jared Frederick as he discusses his new book packed with groundbreaking research which unveils a compelling portrait of an officer defined by boldness on the battlefield and the inherent costs of war. Also featured will be Soldiers & Sailors Curator, Michael Kraus who will discuss artifacts from the museum’s collection related to paratroopers in WWII and more specifically D-Day.
Jared Frederick Bio:
Historian Jared Frederick is the author of numerous books, including Dispatches of D-Day and Hang Tough. He has appeared on PBS, C-SPAN, and Turner Classic Movies. A former park ranger at Gettysburg National Military Park, Frederick is the host of Reel History on YouTube and an instructor of history at Penn State Altoona. Visit jaredfrederick.com to learn more.
Michael Kraus Bio:
A well-known Civil War historian, Kraus currently works as Curator/Historian for Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum. His accomplishments include several historical consultant credits for major films, writing and narrating the documentary series Civil War Minutes and Civil War Life as well as authoring articles and books regarding the conflict. Michael also is an accomplished sculptor with an impressive resume of historically themed works in bronze.
Soldiers & Sailors Tabletop Gamers
10AM – 4PM
Welcome to the monthly game day for the Soldiers & Sailors Tabletop Gamers! We welcome interested gamers ages 10 and up of all experience levels (including none) who want to bring or just play historical board games and miniatures war games, in keeping with the museums mission. Game days will require you to pay standard museum admission, which is listed on the museums website: https://www.soldiersandsailorshall.org/museum/. HINT: The annual membership is very inexpensive! https://www.soldiersandsailorshall.org/donate/#membership.
Please click on the green “Tickets” button to register and pre-pay admission to attend.
For more information please contact Tim Neff: tim@soldiersandsailorshall.org
What is Tabletop Gaming?
Tabletop gaming is played on a table with physical pieces, as opposed to video/computer games. Tabletop gaming includes both board games with playing pieces (for example, Stratego) and miniature games. Miniature games use representative terrain game boards and miniature military figures.